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A current awareness resource for students & faculty members in Business & Economics


Actions vs words: New video on using news to research companies

Published by Mark Bodnar

Screen capture of the title screen of video: "Actions vs Words: Understanding a Company's Strategies Using News Sources
Another video on business research skills & resources! 

As you can probably figure out from the title, this one is about using news sources to gather information about what a company has been doing so that you can infer the company's strategy, rather than relying solely on the company's explicit statements or third-party analysis. That is, focusing on actions vs. words.  

And it includes a brief demonstration of one of our main news article databases here at SFU: Factiva.

<Read on for details.>

Films on Demand: Streaming video for SFU courses

Published by Mark Bodnar

Happy Monday, all — and Happy "First Day of Classes!"

Logo of the Films on Demand streaming video collection.

In our current remote-only world, many instructors and students are looking for streaming videos to liven up classes. With that in mind, the SFU Library has started a short-term subscription to a collection of over 34,000 videos in all subject areas: the Films on Demand: Master Academic Collection.

A few examples of Business/Economics videos from this collection: 

<Click here for more!>

 

New video! Secondary Research for Business Decisions: Foundations for Estimates

Published by Mark Bodnar

Cover image from video: Secondary Research for Business Decisions: Foundations for Estimates
Anyone who has taken such courses as BUS 343 (Introduction to Marketing) and BUS 360W (Business Communication) knows that being able to find and evaluate published information to support a decision is a core skill in all areas of Business.  (And, frankly, in most other subjects... and in life in general!)

However, before you can focus on finding and evaluating information, it's important to have a clear understanding of the definition of secondary research -- especially of its built-in flaws and how they might influence how you plan your search and evaluate your results.

With that in mind, I've created a video...

<Read on for more!>

Streamlined access to our research resources from off campus

Published by Mark Bodnar

Logo for LibKey Nomad
As we all settle into a work-from-home routine, I'm pleased to announce that there is a new tool -- LibKey Nomad -- to help you with (almost) seamless off-campus access to many of our library's journal article subscriptions.

This Chrome Browser extension can be installed with just a couple clicks. Once you have it equipped, it will scan for scholarly content as you browse the Internet. When it detects that you've landed on the page of a journal article available in our online collection, it will drop a little Download PDF button onto the page. Click, authenticate as an SFU researcher, and you're in! 

<Read on for details about LibKey Nomad, the SFU Library Bookmarklet, secret Google Scholar settings, and more!>

Help is here!

Published by Mark Bodnar

Screen capture of first screen of video, featuring the title "Contacting Your Business & Economics Librarian"
Hi all -- I hope you are doing okay in these difficult times.

I recently wrote a post about the wealth of resources available remotely for SFU researchers, with a focus on our top business & economics resources.  I ended that post with some tips on ways to get help choosing and using those resources.  

Since then many students and faculty members have sent me questions, so it's clear that at least some people are aware that when the physical library is closed, our remote research assistance is still available! 

To ensure everyone knows they can still contact me with their business & economics questions, I've made a short "Doodly" video...

<Click for details!>

Our library is where YOU are — especially in these complicated times!

Published by Mark Bodnar

As I'm sure you heard, SFU is moving away from in-person instruction starting tomorrow (March 16). For now, the library and other university facilities remain open, but even if our library buildings weren't open, you'd still be able to access many of our resources and services. 

**[Update (March 20]: Our Fraser and Belzberg Libraries are now closed and our Bennett (Burnaby) library will close as of 5pm tonight.  However, our online resources and services remain available. Read on for details... 

Line drawing of a question mark with a circle around it.
Need some statistics to support your argument?
How about time series data from a wide range of sources?
Company & market financials
Market & industry analysis?
News articles? Streaming video? Online journals & books?

<Click for a list of key online business/economics resources to help you study from home.> 

On procrastination: how NOT to...

Published by Mark Bodnar

We've hit that magical time of semester when deadlines that once seemed theoretical now loom darkly on the horizon and lurch closer every time we blink. That time when snacks, social media, and even dirty dishes all seem so much more tempting than the task at hand... 

That's right -- it's procrastination time! Or, more grandly, it's National Procrastination Week!

In honour of this occasion, my colleagues here in the SFU Library have created one of the most inventive book displays I've ever seen on the main floor of our Burnaby library...  

<Don't wait! Click now for for pictures and resources!>